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Boulder sendoff for two dozen headed to Paris climate summit

Scientists, activists to join President Obama at COP21

By Natalie Munio

For the Camera

Posted:
11/17/2015 11:18:41 PM MST

Updated:
11/17/2015 11:20:11 PM MST

Following the devastating attacks in Paris this past weekend, officials say there are no plans to cancel the highly anticipated COP21 Paris conference, a summit where world leaders will work on the most expansive international agreement ever to confront climate change.

Among the thousands anticipated to attend the two-week summit will be President Barack Obama and 25 people from Boulder, whose credentials span from NCAR scientists to global crisis activists.

C3 Boulder, a local climate-change activist group, will host a send-off ceremony them, who in total will attend 21 meetings at the convention. The event will provide an opportunity for guests to convene around the group and hear first hand what they hope will be negotiated and discussed during the conference.

The send-off ceremony for the 25 Boulder locals leaving for the COP21 Paris event will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Bohemian Biergarten, 2017 13th St., Boulder. Tickets are free and the event is open to the public.

"The things this group will be doing at the conference are kind of all over the board," said Joellen Raderstorf of C3 Boulder. "Some people have been going to these summits for a long time, some are scientists who will be bringing forth new information, and so on. We have 3,000 climate scientists living in our community, over 80 organizations that are focused on climate issues, and just an overall wealth of innovators who are working in different areas, and we hope to get them all energized about this conference."

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Raderstorf says that the hope is to return from the conference having established a clear directive for the nations to join together and take action toward the global climate crisis, and that doing so requires commitment on every government level.

"We want to get a pretty clear climate action plan from this summit, at a community level and at an individual level that will then funnel all the way up to a national level and a global level," Raderstorf said. "If we can get a clear plan globally, that will kind of drive the grass roots, and we'll know as a community what we're going to do."

Colleen Scanlan Lyons and Julie Teel Simmonds are two of the 25 people from Boulder who will be attending the event at the end of November.

Both work with the Governors' Climate and Forests Task Force, an organization that works with governors and leaders from around the world. The organization's primary focus is reducing deforestation around the world.

"Action happens in states, in provinces, and in cities around the world, so the more we can unify our efforts and work together, the better chance we have," Lyons said.

While both Simmonds and Lyons admit there were obvious reservations in deciding to travel to Paris so shortly after the attacks, which killed 129 people, both agree with the decision to continue with the conference.

"As long as the meeting is still being held and as long as the international community is welcomed there, then we absolutely want to be there," Simmonds said.

There has recently been sentiments expressed by public figures, most recently Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, linking climate change to national and global security. Simmonds somewhat agrees, saying that in part, it's why the community of people who will be attending the COP21 summit have such support.

"Climate security in a lot of ways is linked with global security — they're things that are going to help develop a more stable global community. I think working to address the climate crisis is only going to help us come together globally," Simmonds said. "Paris is the City of Lights in so many ways, and even though it's going to be a more subdued atmosphere while we're there, I think by us going we're showing solidarity with the people of Paris."

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